Ilkley tops Sunday Times list of best places to live in the UK
Three new Yorkshire entries and Slaithwaite is named the North’s best
THE WEST Yorkshire spa town of Ilkley has been named the best place to live in the UK by The Sunday Times.
The 2022 edition of the annual Best Places to Live Guide published today includes three new entries from Yorkshire – all of them villages – but Ilkley impressed writers so much that it has topped the national list.
The town did not feature in the guide at all between 2014 and 2020, but made a return last year after editors realised its extensive list of attributes and strong sense of community cohesion.
Ilkley residents have received national attention for their efforts in winning bathing water status for the River Wharfe while campaigning for Yorkshire Water to reduce sewage discharges to allow for safe wild swimming.
2022 also sees past winner York drop out of the publication entirely, despite the city scoring highly in the past for its transport links and excellent schools.
Harrogate has also returned to the guide for the first time since 2016, mainly due to its popularity with readers – though writers have previously failed to include it due to its high cost of living.
Seven of the top 10 entries for the north this year are in Yorkshire; the Barnsley village of Cawthorne, Captain Cook’s birthplace of Great Ayton on the edge of the North York Moors, the Vale of York village of Hovingham, and Leeds city centre join Ilkley, Harrogate and Slaithwaite, the mill village near Huddersfield that made its debut last year.
Leeds is also now considered the ‘top northern city’ as Manchester and Liverpool do not feature this time round.
Writers have wanted to include a desirable South Yorkshire location for several years and settled on Cawthorne, which is part of the historic Cannon Hall estate.
Guide editor Tim Palmer said: “It’s very villagey this year – partly because since Covid we have been able to travel to more places and look a bit harder at them.
“We haven’t included East Yorkshire this time. We’ve had Beverley in so many times but we feel we’ve said everything there is to say.
“Harrogate is just very popular so the weight of demand has brought it back. It’s got a lot of things people want – good schools, transport, and it’s very walkable.
“Ilkley is one of the few places where you can manage better without a car than with one. You can even walk to the supermarket. The town is really behind people like the bathing water campaigners.
“West Yorkshire has been getting better and better since we started the guide 10 years ago, especially compared to North Yorkshire.
“With Ilkley, there are glorious riverside and woodland walks too – and the landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales are just a short drive or bike ride away.
“The opportunities offered by the rugby, football, cricket, tennis, cycling clubs and others make it a great place to grow up. For those who don’t like sport, there’s a brilliant drama group in The Upstagers.
“Everything is within walking distance. It’s a small town with everything you need – shops, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. For anything else, you can hop on a train to Leeds. It’s hard to imagine a place where it would be easier to manage without a car.
“The community cares and knows how to get things done. From the campaign to secure bathing water status for the River Wharfe and the support groups set up during the pandemic, to the volunteers planting flowers in the station plaza or keeping the Riverside Gardens tidy, everyone gets involved to give their town a boost.
“We were also impressed by Real Food Ilkley, a local project for local people. The vibrant street market set up in 2016 has gone from strength to strength and given the town’s food culture a serious boost. Look out particularly for the delicious cakes, sausage rolls and salads from the Ilkley Kitchen.
“Outside the Box is a brilliant cafe and an inspiring charity providing training, support and employment for adults with learning difficulties.”